Distract, Mislead, Divide and Rule

Most everyone should realize this by now: Our elected representatives are not going to solve America’s real problems. They go through the posturing and the motions of governing, but it’s not real. It is a meager political attempt designed to serve their corporate donors.

The eruption of recent scandals is, in part, an artificially manufactured distraction. They divert our attention from the real issues. They camouflage yet another attempt by GOP to repeal Obamacare that’s resulted in over $50 million of expense to the American taxpayer. They distract us from the painfully bad Agriculture Bill, inflicted by our own Congressman Neugebauer. They are distractions to the Immigration Bill, granting more corporate control over labor and jobs. It distracts us from events in Syria. It’s a diabolic partisan attempt to control the 2014 midterms and the future of 2016.

Benghazi? Sure, I don’t like it, but people forget we’ve had embassies attacked in the past and MORE attacks happened on the watch of Republican Presidents, and with far more casualties. If anyone should have been impeached it was Ronald Reagan and the doddering old fool’s role in Iran-Contra. Don’t be fooled. The Extreme Right doesn’t care one whit about the safety of American diplomats. Their only concern is discrediting Democrats, Hillary Clinton in particular, far in advance of 2016.

The IRS scandal? There’s never a happy outcome with the IRS, but big media is not reporting the explosion of new 501c4’s that resulted in the increased scrutiny of the IRS on non-profits. These 501c4’s were SUPPOSED to be established for the “public good” but instead became a way to funnel dark money to political groups—think Americans For Prosperity and Rove’s Crossroads and to be fair, Liberal groups also. Conservative 501c4s were targeted more often because 86% of all new applications for 501c4’s are from Conservative groups. If we still taught critical reading-thinking in school, some readers might have come to more logical conclusions.

Seizing the AP phone records? Bad, very bad. But what I really want to know is this: Where were all the morally outraged journalists when Assange was being pursued, his website obliterated by the credit card companies via the Government? Where were all the indignantly angry journalists when Bradley Manning was imprisoned without trial for over 1000 days? Weren’t Assange and Manning reporting “the truth”? Isn’t it “truth” that journalists seek? The only “truth” about mainstream media journalists is this: They’re troubled only if it affects them personally and professionally. Truth and facts are not important, unless it garners a big byline, publicity and professional grandeur for themselves.

The battle for freedom of the press is nothing new. In the days of the Founding Fathers, there was the 1798 Sedition Act. Editors of newspapers were imprisoned because of the conflict with France. Later, a Philadelphia newspaper editor was threatened and his home vandalized, simply because he supported Thomas Jefferson. Remember the 1917 Espionage Act? Any publication in the German language was shutdown. Common citizens were jailed because they dared to state “the truth”; that World War I was artificially created by war profiteers. Do you recall the Pentagon Papers in 1971? And more recently, the Bush Administration’s confiscation of the CBS video of the Abu Gharib prison torture?

I’ll keep saying this over and over until people finally get it. If you dig deep, our greatest impediment to governing, according to the will of the people, is corporate money in government. Most of those in public office, especially the GOTP in Texas will do nothing to change that. It would be like biting the hand that feeds them, so it’s up to the regular everyday Joe or Jane to take action.

There are some glimmers of hope on the horizon, but only if you, as a committed citizen, will act.

Here are some issues that you can and should act on:

Call Governor Rick Perry TODAY: (512) 463-2000 and tell him to sign SB 346 (Public Disclosure of ALL Political Contributions) into Texas Law. This bill will help make certain that all organizations that engage in political campaign activities are subject to disclosure laws, as currently required by political committees. Without this, Texans will continue to have elections influenced by banks in Mississippi and corporations in California. Those who are against this are voted to keep political contributions a secret.

Support a concurrent resolution, SCR 2, filed by Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis to over turn the SCOTUS decision in the Citizens United case, which granted unlimited power to corporations to influence elections and other civil matters in our country at all levels of government by granting them the same political free speech rights as living human beings. Only a constitutional amendment can overcome this state of affairs. Click here to add your name: http://tinyurl.com/bamhv7tand another calling for an here:http://tinyurl.com/bhu3j78

Carol Morgan is a career counselor, writer, speaker, former Democratic candidate for the Texas House and the award-winning author of Of Tapestry, Time and Tears, a historical fiction about the 1947 Partition of India. Follow her on Twitter @CounselorCarol1, on Facebook: CarolMorgan1 and her writer’s blog at www.carolmorgan.org

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Yes, Katleen Sebelius is another target selected by the GOTP to do exactly what Carol is speaking of about, in creating a distraction.

Other than the right-wing fuzz sites, where is the smoking gun? Where are the facts? Where are the citations?

As expressed elsewhere the slogan for the GOTP should be "Fire, Aim, and Ready" in that order. That is why the GOTP is always missing the target. That is why they aren't gaining traction. Rather, than wait for the information to be collected, the immediate response is to attack Obama. Is that really working?

Interesting how you aren't interested in talking about Iran/Contra, with a history re-write, but you are willing to do so with any other past Democratic President. Are you prejudiced toward conservatives?

Interesting that you can't simply comment on Carol's the content of her blog, without hurling out a slur--"Sorry, I called you stupid, you are ignorant."

Do you actually believe you gained "points" by doing so? Did it release some of your pent-up anger that you post with?

I am sure you probably noticed, one of your post's with a personal attack from two days ago got removed.

"Support a concurrent resolution, SCR 2, filed by Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis to over turn the SCOTUS decision in the Citizens United case, which granted unlimited power to corporations to influence elections and other civil matters in our country at all levels of government by granting them the same political free speech rights as living human beings. Only a constitutional amendment can overcome this state of affairs. Click here to add your name: http://tinyurl.com/bamhv7t and another calling for an here: http://tinyurl.com/bhu3j78"

I did go to link to add my name. I doubt it will pass, unfortunately. The Texas GOP has made too much money in commissions off of the tax welfare offered to corporations in Texas. 30 percent in some cases of total taxes that should have been paid goes to GOP lobbyists. It is what drives their campaigns and what creates the loss of funding to schools, health care, and state agencies. Also, these corporate treasuries make big donations to the GOP to keep the tax subsidies coming. It is a vicious cycle. Sorry to everyone here that has read this before from me, but I see this as the main problem in Texas. http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=1002402

I wish Senator Ellis the best in his endeavor to clean up money in politics and undo Citizens United. Having said that. Senator Ellis was unable to get the only five remaining votes necessary in the Texas Senate to pass the Timothy Cole Exoneration- Review- Commission Bill. I don't think I need to explain why he couldn't get those votes when you look at the racial make up of the Texas Senate and it's small Democratic numbers. If bigotry is nothing to be ashamed of by Texas Senate Republicans, then greed and corruption are considered even better attributes by those same Republicans.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the state this country is in. The Dow is over 15K, the economy is rockin', and my business is the best it's been in years! There aren't enough hours in the day. I'm hiring employees and buying new equipment.

Some of my clients (many of them, actually) have the same mentality as you. I just smile and agree with them as I stick their money in my pocket. Maybe you've given me some of yours, to which I say thanks.

As you say, in regards to our country’s problems, “follow the money.” Yep, thanks to the majority of the Supremes [sic] we now have dark money being funneled in unlimited amounts to 501c4s established for the “public good” [sic].

Supposedly, a certain blogger wanted to make a statement choosing that name for a handle on the LAJ.

There are a number of circumstances in the cartoon that are interesting from a psychological point of view. Top Cat apparently runs afoul of the law frequently. The policeman provided testimony as to his social status by telling Top Cat to get a job! Top Cat exhibits alley cat behavior by hanging out with a gang of other cats that could be best described by words such as scammer or huckster. Those are qualities that only a Republican would want to emulate.

I learned a lot this morning watching Sunday morning cartoons. However, I also think that the prequel version of the Thundercats offers more valuable life lessons. That and I got the hots for Cheetarah. ;-)

. . . all of us are a bit insane, our politicians are a bit more insane than the general populace, neither party or anybody in power should be trusted. Reminder, this government pays farmers not to farm!

Caucasian immigrants ruined this land for the natives. Caucasian heirs of immigrants run this country. Caucasians are not God's chosen people but they think they are.

It is always a good idea to force politicians to tell us who their donors are and where their $$$ comes from.

I sent this email to my Representative in Congress just a few minutes ago and I intend to send it to as many representatives in Congress that will accept my emails. I agree 100% with the suppositions that Donald May has made in this blog and his own blog and I feel that my request to my congressman is justified by Mr. May's statements.

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Dear Randy,

I am NOT a right-wing kook! Now that that is out of the way, I would like to request that you and your like minded congressional colleagues consider this.

1. President Obama has defied the law in using the IRS to attack conservative groups and lied about his knowledge of it.

2. President Obama and his White House staff have boldly lied about the Benghazi situation and in doing so, not only allowed Americans to die needlessly, but actually directed American forces to specifically NOT attempt any rescue of the Americans who died.

3. President Obama in defiance of the First Amendment guaranteeing Freedom of The Press, has allowed and may have even directed the DOJ to investigate, harass and even accused members of the Press who conducted investigative reports on issues that irritated or embarrassed the White House, of conspiracy and other crimes.

These three points alone, not withstanding other outright actions including disregarding of the Constitution and laws of our land, is justification for you to bring "Articles of Impeachment" against President Barack H Obama.

I respectfully request that you do so without delay.

Your Constituent, Terry W. Ford

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Ok,"liberales ", commence your attack on my intelligence, motives, family background, body type, political affiliations, educational background and vocabulary. I can take it!